Elizabeth Porter, Author at IRT INC

Recent Research Supporting STEM Mentoring for Traditionally Underrepresented Youth

Elizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:59:28+00:00

March 27, 2024, Durham, NC - Recent research indicates that opportunities for students to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are growing. The Afterschool Alliance’s 2021 America After 3PM Special Report states that among approximately 31,000 randomly selected parents of school-aged children in the United States, 39% reported that their child’s school offered a technology- or engineering-related afterschool program in 2020. This was a significant increase compared to findings from 2014 surveys which indicated that only 30% of schools offered engineering and technology learning opportunities in afterschool programs. Science-related afterschool programs increased from 46% in 2014 to [...]

Recent Research Supporting STEM Mentoring for Traditionally Underrepresented YouthElizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:59:28+00:00

Customize Mentoring Trainings to Reflect Your Program

Elizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:56:32+00:00

March 27, 2024, Durham, NC - When offering training to mentors, mentees, and parents/caregivers of mentees involved your mentoring program, you likely want to be sure that the trainings you offer not only provide essential information participants need for a successful mentoring relationship but also reflect your program’s specific mission, policies, practices, and branding. Mentoring Central, a division of iRT, offers options to customize any of our mentoring training courses, so you can elevate your program participants’ training experiences and achieve your program’s goals. Mentoring Central’s team of mentoring subject matter experts, highly-skilled web applications developers, and talented multimedia and instructional [...]

Customize Mentoring Trainings to Reflect Your ProgramElizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:56:32+00:00

New Version of Plan My Ride Available Now

Elizabeth Porter2024-03-15T16:39:30+00:00

March 13, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the Plan My Ride program. Plan My Ride is an interactive, multimedia, eLearning program developed with and for young drivers to teach safe driving skills to prevent distracted and impaired driving. Unlike other safe driving educational programs, Plan My Ride uses a science-backed and theory-driven approach to change behavior by teaching concrete, practical strategies to avoid impaired and distracted driving, and providing opportunities for young drivers to practice the skills learned in 360-degree virtual scenarios. The updated version of Plan My Ride contains [...]

New Version of Plan My Ride Available NowElizabeth Porter2024-03-15T16:39:30+00:00

The State of Substance Use Among Adolescents in the United States

Elizabeth Porter2024-04-22T17:34:38+00:00

March 06, 2024, Durham, NC – As decades of research has shown, trends in adolescent substance use in the United States are constantly evolving. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published an updated report on findings from the Monitoring the Future research study to share information about recent trends in adolescent substance use. Monitoring the Future is an ongoing research study aimed at examining the drug use related behaviors, attitudes, and values of American adolescents and adults. Since 1975, approximately 50,000 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students are surveyed each year [...]

The State of Substance Use Among Adolescents in the United StatesElizabeth Porter2024-04-22T17:34:38+00:00

iRT Research Scientist Presents on Innovative Solution to Preventing the Problem of Impaired Driving Among Young People

Elizabeth Porter2024-02-22T19:29:00+00:00

February 22, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientist Dr. Rebecca Stelter presented at SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day gathering last month to discuss the problem and prevention of substance use and impaired driving among youth. SAMHSA’s Prevention Day gathering is the largest annual, national event dedicated to advancing substance misuse prevention. Each year, substance use prevention professionals, researchers, and advocates gather to share current developments and discuss future research and innovations in substance misuse prevention. This year’s gathering took place in conjunction with CADCA’s National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, Maryland. Dr. Stelter led a session entitled Sober Lives, Safer Roads: [...]

iRT Research Scientist Presents on Innovative Solution to Preventing the Problem of Impaired Driving Among Young PeopleElizabeth Porter2024-02-22T19:29:00+00:00

Recent Research Findings on the Previous Sex Education Experiences of Community College Students

Elizabeth Porter2024-02-21T14:38:12+00:00

February 21, 2024, Durham, NC – Though community college students make up nearly half of all U.S. undergraduate students, they are often overlooked by sexual and relationship health research. The limited amount of research on this population may make it difficult for community colleges to make evidence-based decisions about the types of resources and support they should provide to their students to promote their sexual health. Without accessible resources to learn about and manage their health, community college students may be at risk for unhealthy sexual and relationship behaviors. To address these gaps in research, iRT has been conducting the Community [...]

Recent Research Findings on the Previous Sex Education Experiences of Community College StudentsElizabeth Porter2024-02-21T14:38:12+00:00

iRT President Presents at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit

Elizabeth Porter2024-02-21T15:16:51+00:00

February 13, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT President Dr. Janis Kupersmidt co-led a workshop at the 14th annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC, last month to discuss the need for additional training for mentors who are serving youth impacted by substance misuse. MENTOR hosts mentoring professionals and advocates from across the nation each year during the National Mentoring Summit to share best practices, reflect on recent research and developments, and discuss future directions related to mentoring. iRT’s mentoring experts have been attendees, presenters, and/or exhibitors at the Mentoring Summit every year since the first annual meeting. Continuing our support for [...]

iRT President Presents at the 2024 National Mentoring SummitElizabeth Porter2024-02-21T15:16:51+00:00

Offering Comprehensive Sex Education with Media Aware – High School

Elizabeth Porter2024-02-07T16:08:32+00:00

February 07, 2024, Durham, NC – To address the need for comprehensive sex education for adolescents in the United States, iRT developed Media Aware – High School, a self-paced, web-based, multimedia course designed to provide high school students with medically-accurate information on a variety of sexual health topics. Through a series of four multi-part lessons, students receive information on foundational sex education topics, including STI prevention and testing, sexual assault, consent, and birth control methods, as well as relevant, inclusive topics that are often left out of school-based sex education, including how substance use affects sexual decisions and behavior; gender role [...]

Offering Comprehensive Sex Education with Media Aware – High SchoolElizabeth Porter2024-02-07T16:08:32+00:00

iRT to Present at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit

Elizabeth Porter2024-01-19T20:03:06+00:00

January 19, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Janis Kupersmidt and Katie Stump will present at the 2024 meeting of the annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC, this month. Each year, MENTOR hosts mentoring professionals and advocates from across the nation to take part in expert-led presentations and networking opportunities to share mentoring best practices and drive positive change for young people. The next National Mentoring Summit will be held January 24-26, 2024. Mentoring experts for Mentoring Central, a division of iRT, have been attendees, presenters, and exhibitors at the Mentoring Summit every year since the first annual [...]

iRT to Present at the 2024 National Mentoring SummitElizabeth Porter2024-01-19T20:03:06+00:00

iRT Welcomes New Research Intern

Elizabeth Porter2024-01-19T20:30:06+00:00

January 19, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to welcome Abbey Collins to its team of skilled, world-renowned researchers and creative professionals. Collins joined iRT this month as a research intern to contribute to the research and development of high-quality mentor trainings on topics related to cultural competency. Collins brings a wealth of research experience in the fields of behavioral science and neuroscience to iRT, with publications in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine (in press), Psychology of Women Quarterly, Experimental Aging Research, and Epilepsy & Behavior. As a current doctoral student in the Department of Applied Social Psychology at North [...]

iRT Welcomes New Research InternElizabeth Porter2024-01-19T20:30:06+00:00

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About Elizabeth Porter